A Heritage BusinessPlan for St. Augustine

This rare 1882 photo shows the equipment of a French Transit of Venus expedition on the gun deck of the
Castillo, then called Fort Marion. The rare event of Venus' passage between sun and Earth was recorded on a commemorative white marble
plaque, now in storage at the National Park Service Archive in Jacksonville.

Welcome to our 450th

Welcome to the web pages of the 450 Corps, a citizen organization formed to begin
planning for the 450th Anniversary of St. Augustine's founding in 2015. Its mission is
to generate community interest, ideas for anniversary programs and projects, and potential
sponsorships. The 450 Corps is designed to fold into a Federal 450th Commission, now making
its way through Congress. We are a Florida non-profit corporation with Federal 501.c.3 status
for tax-deductible contributions.

Visit Our Idea Vault

Visit the Vault to see ideas generated by our community
so far - and vote on your favorites. For individuals and organizations, they may spark an interest
or some ideas of your own. Potential sponsors should look to the opportunity to be highlighted for
a weekend program, annual festival, web site, or for years to come as sponsor of a legacy project.
At this point, money is no object - really! The best of ideas are sure to find a sponsor.
Check back often as we begin to classify categories of ideas for programs and projects.

Read our Minutes

Review minutes of our 450 Corps meetings since Octber
2007, when we formed as a community organization to generate community interest,
develop ideas for programs and projects, and encourage the establishment of a
formal 450th Anniversary program. The 450 Corps is a non-profit 501 (c) 3 for
the benefit of our upcoming three-year commemoration period, beginning in 2013
with the Quincentenary of Ponce de Leon's discovery of Florida and continuing
through 2015, the 450th Anniversary of the founding of our Nation's Oldest City.

The City of St. Augustine has assumed management of the city's 450th commemoration. Details on our Progress page.

The 450 Community Corps wants to hear from you. Send your thoughts and ideas
to Corps Chair George
Gardner.